5 Ropes by Alejandra Artizabal

About the Item

5 Ropes by Alejandra Artizabal Dimensions: 110 cm x 130 cm Materials: Fique - Furcraea andina. The plant is transformed manually into textiles and ropes and used in various applications in agriculture, handicrafts and other products. We are one. Mother earth holds us altogether. The peasant, the CEO, the designer, the artist. Colombi- an, French, American, African... How can I help open a conversation where this unity is addressed? Each of us, from our own contexts and professional practices should have purpose and conscious- ness as the pivotal force that shapes cultural dynamics and gives place to empathic transformations. From my place as an artist I wish to open conversations about nature, social narratives and manual traditions. I feel the need to be a part of this, aiming to connect and open an empathic visual space of communication and reflection. I believe in art with a purpose. Environmental purpose, social purpose and aesthetic purpose. In the world’s hectic climatic agenda and social disruption, we need to activate and motivate a transi- tion towards a sustainable global future, installing cooperation in daily deeds and shifting from unconscious consumerism and automated actions to conscious decisions, as local actions have global consequences. I want to promote natural resources and materials, like Fique, main symbol of my artistic work. I want to elevate autochtonous practices and native traditions, and people whose lives are sustained around the transformation of this plant. I want to give voice to crafters and redisco- ver manual practices. Through my art, I want to take you back to mother earth though a visually appealing journey. I was born in Colombia, a tropical paradise: biodiverse, environmentally rich, resourceful and exotic. It was once a country filled with violence, blood and drug cartels, and now slowly regaining its splen- dour. I work with fique - Furcraea andina - a species native of south american andean region, and one of the Colombian national fibers. The plant is transformed manually into textiles and ropes and used in various applications in agriculture, handicrafts and other products. As a country we are now aiming to create new social narrative around our resources and the people that shape them. It’s time to “turn over the new leaf”, understanding and learning from the past but generating new opportunities and ways of doing in our country, like substituting coca crops for other sustainable legal plantations. Besides this, it is important to reinstall a new way of farming, by slowly re-educating farmers and consumers, highlighting and leveling-up new materials and species and giving way to an agricultural environment around peaceful politics.

Dimensions:

Height: 51.19 in (130 cm)Width: 43.31 in (110 cm)Depth: 3.94 in (10 cm)

Style:

Modern (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Other,Other

Place of Origin:

Colombia

Period:

2010-

Date of Manufacture:

2021